Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train: Largest TBM for Undersea Tunnel

15 Jun 2023 CW Team

According to V Manivannan, the Director of Construction Plant and Equipment (CPE) at Afcons, a total of 20 TBMs will be deployed by the company for various underground projects in the current financial year. He mentioned that 17 TBMs will be mobilised this year, and an additional three will be deployed early next year. Manivannan also highlighted that Afcons is the sole organisation in the country that currently owns and deploys such a significant number of TBMs at one time.

The National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) recently awarded a contract to Afcons for the construction of India's first undersea rail tunnel, which will be part of a 21-kilometre-long tunnel for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. This undersea tunnel, located at Thane creek, will be approximately seven kilometres long and positioned between 25 to 65 metres below the ground level. The plan involves using TBMs for 16 kilometres of the tunnel, while the remaining five kilometres will be constructed using the new Austrian Tunnelling Methodology.

Manivannan emphasised that Afcons possesses a strategic equipment fleet, consisting of mostly custom-built machinery. This enables them to undertake technically challenging projects and complete them on schedule or even ahead of time.

Given that the undersea section of the tunnel falls within the intertidal zone, there may be high water pressure resulting in significant overburden. However, Afcons has previous experience executing underwater tunnelling projects and has already constructed the country's first underwater Metro tunnels beneath the Hooghly River in Kolkata. Afcons successfully built three underground Metro stations connected by two underground tunnels, each measuring 3.8 kilometres in length. A portion of these tunnels, approximately 520 metres, passes under the formidable river Hooghly.

The news stated that India's first undersea rail tunnel, which is a part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, will be dug using one of the largest Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). It was mentioned that the TBM for this project will have a diameter of 13.1 metres, making it even larger than the country's previous largest TBM used for the Mumbai Coastal Road project, which had a diameter of 12.2 metres.According to V Manivannan, the Director of Construction Plant and Equipment (CPE) at Afcons, a total of 20 TBMs will be deployed by the company for various underground projects in the current financial year. He mentioned that 17 TBMs will be mobilised this year, and an additional three will be deployed early next year. Manivannan also highlighted that Afcons is the sole organisation in the country that currently owns and deploys such a significant number of TBMs at one time.The National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) recently awarded a contract to Afcons for the construction of India's first undersea rail tunnel, which will be part of a 21-kilometre-long tunnel for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. This undersea tunnel, located at Thane creek, will be approximately seven kilometres long and positioned between 25 to 65 metres below the ground level. The plan involves using TBMs for 16 kilometres of the tunnel, while the remaining five kilometres will be constructed using the new Austrian Tunnelling Methodology.Manivannan emphasised that Afcons possesses a strategic equipment fleet, consisting of mostly custom-built machinery. This enables them to undertake technically challenging projects and complete them on schedule or even ahead of time.Given that the undersea section of the tunnel falls within the intertidal zone, there may be high water pressure resulting in significant overburden. However, Afcons has previous experience executing underwater tunnelling projects and has already constructed the country's first underwater Metro tunnels beneath the Hooghly River in Kolkata. Afcons successfully built three underground Metro stations connected by two underground tunnels, each measuring 3.8 kilometres in length. A portion of these tunnels, approximately 520 metres, passes under the formidable river Hooghly.

Infrastructure Urban

05 Nov 2025

TBO Tek Q2 Profit Climbs 12%, Revenue Surges 26% YoY

TBO Tek Limited one of the world’s largest travel distribution platforms, reported a solid performance for Q2 FY26 with a 26 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue to Rs 5.68 billion, reflecting broad-based growth and improving profitability.The company recorded a Gross Transaction Value (GTV) of Rs 8,901 crore, up 12 per cent YoY, driven by strong performance across Europe, MEA, and APAC regions. Adjusted EBITDA before acquisition-related costs stood at Rs 1.04 billion, up 16 per cent YoY, translating into an 18.32 per cent margin compared to 16.56 per cent in Q1 FY26. Profit after tax r..

Infrastructure Energy

05 Nov 2025

Northern Graphite, Rain Carbon Secure R&D Grant for Greener Battery Materials

Northern Graphite Corporation and Rain Carbon Canada Inc, a subsidiary of Rain Carbon Inc, have jointly received up to C$860,000 (€530,000) in funding under the Canada–Germany Collaborative Industrial Research and Development Programme to develop sustainable battery anode materials.The two-year, C$2.2 million project aims to transform natural graphite processing by-products into high-performance, battery-grade anode material (BAM). Supported by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Programme (NRC IRAP) and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs a..

Infrastructure Urban

05 Nov 2025

Antony Waste Q2 Revenue Jumps 16%; Subsidiary Wins Rs 3,200 Cr WtE Projects

Antony Waste Handling Cell Limited (AWHCL), a leading player in India’s municipal solid waste management sector, announced a 16 per cent year-on-year increase in total operating revenue to Rs 2.33 billion for Q2 FY26. The growth was driven by higher waste volumes, escalated contracts, and strong operational execution.EBITDA rose 18 per cent to Rs 570 million, with margins steady at 21.6 per cent, while profit after tax stood at Rs 173 million, up 13 per cent YoY. Revenue from Municipal Solid Waste Collection and Transportation (MSW C&T) reached Rs 1.605 billion, and MSW Processing re..